Improvement in freight-cars



:i n. macaw,

FREIGHT-CAR.

Patented Nov. 21,1876.

16 law m ENTOR I M6 WITNESSES ATTO R N EY JOHN D. IMBODEN, OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-TWENTIETII OF HIS RIGHT TO A. D. WILLIAMS, AND ONE-HALF HIS RIGHT TO B. H.'MAURY, TRUSTEE FOR SAID AID. WILLIAMS, BOTHQF SAME PLACE- IMPROVEMENT IN FREIGHT-CARS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 184,625, dated November 21, 1876; application filed J une 24,1876.

To all whom it-may concern Be it known that I, JOHN D. IMBODEN, of Richmond, in the county of Henrico and State of Virginia, have invented a new and valuable Improvement in Low-Gravity Center -Draft Railway-(Jars; and do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a representation of a cross-sectional view of my improved rail-- way-car. Fig. 2 is a side View thereof, and Fig. 3 is a longitudinal central section of the same.

This invention has relation to railwaycars, both for freight and passengers; and it consists in the construction and novel arrangement, in connection with a car-body, of a suspended or sub compartment, designed to carry a part of the load very near the ground of a central longitudinal draft beam or spine with lateral ribs, serving the double purpose. of supporting the floor of the sub-compartment and of trussing the center-beam, adding to its solidity and stiffness in resisting concussion, and distributing the forces applied to it in the traction of the train; of the vertical parallel dumping-gates, hinged at the upper side so as to close themselves by gravity when the load has run out; of the lever-fastening and its shaft, having projecting lugs; of the movable doors or ledges, designed to bridge overthe top of the sub-compartment, and

thereby transform it temporarily intoafreightcar with a raised flat bottom; and of the iongitudinal union-braces to secure the sub-compartment pedestals and main frame-work together, and preserve their proper relative position, all as hereinafter more fully shown and described.

One of the principal features of my invention consists in such a construction of the carbody as will permit a large proportion of the load'to be carried within a few inches of the railway-track, thereby bringing down the center of gravity of both the car and its load much nearer the ground than is practicable in the present forms of railway-cars in use, reducing materially the oscillating forces of a moving train, and manifestly saving wear and tear of both rolling stock and permanent way,

and leading to an important reduction in the bulk and weight of material employed in construction.

In order to illustrate this invention, the accompanying drawings show the application thereof to a coal-car, which will carry ores and similar substances equally well, and with slight modifications is adapted to the transportation of grain in bulk, cotton in bales, and live stock.

The letter A designates the upper portion of the body of the car, and B the suspended portion or sub-compartment under the former, and communicating therewith. 0 represents a longitudinal beam centrally arranged, and running the length of the car in the framework of the car-body, designed to receive all the strain of traction in moving the train, and of, concussion in stopping it, to the relief of the other frame-work of the car, especially its cross-timbers or head-pieces and their joints. This beam or spine is another material feature of the constructiointand is designed to promote the durability and safety of the car. This beam is designed to receive at its ends the couplings of the cars, and also the buffers.

In the construction of the coal-car, this center-beam forms the summit or dividingridge between the two lateral outwardly-sloping floorsD D. These sloping floors are designed to extend the entire length of the subcompartment, and serve to conduct the coal, ores, or grain to the dumping-gates on the sides of the car. Under these floors the lat eral inclined ribs E extend downward and outward, springing from the center-beam, and, at their lower ends, abutted against and connec'red to the lower rails F of the sub-compartments. These are strengthened by throughbolts to, and by iron braces G, that extend longitudinally under the framework of the subcompartment on eachside of the car, and under the pedestals H and boxes b of the wheels,

the rectangular relation of the sub-compare...

ment, the pedestals and the superior framework being-directly boltedtothese partsa K [designates the ,,dum'pm'ga gates, wh ch close the openings 0 or months of the-chutes.

Thesefopenings areiflin'i the. sidewalls of the sub-compartments, and the gates K, hanging vertically when closed, are hinged to the princi pal side rails L of the car-bodyfas indicated at d d in the drawings. In the construction of this coal-car the end wallsN are designed to be built vertical, as. well as the side walls M of the superior por-U tion A; and from each end of the body a ledge, R, of flooring extends toward the open ingatflthe top ofjthesub-compartment. S S indicatetlie inclined end walls or hopperguides,*which conduct the load toward the chutesof the sub-compartment. -These end walls are usually designed by me to be made movable, being hinged at their lower edges, and resting by their upper edges against the upper, transverse, or end rails, of the carbod y, as indicated at T in the drawings. The car is unloaded by opening the dumping-gates and allowing the load to pass out downthe hopper-guides and chutes. Inorder to keep the gates closed, a long rod orshaft, e, is extended along the, lower edge of each gate, below the same, being connected to the lower side rail of the sub-compartment by suitable bearings f. Each shaft is provided with lugs or tonguesg at several points in its length, which project upward to engage with the lower edge of the swinging gate and keep it shut. it In order to secure the engagementeach shaft is provided at its ends with an upwardlytnrned lever-arm, h, which is engaged with a latch or keeper, is, secured to the frame-work of the car. By the simple disengagement of this lever-arm the chute can be opened. The hinged end walls are designed to be covered with metal, and to have strong battens on their faces. When the car isunloaded the hinged end wallsS may be folded toward each other into the plane of the floor-ledges of the superior compartment, and, resting on the central spine and side ledges I, serve to complete the floor of this compartment, forming for the time an ordinary fiat-bottomed car, which can be stowed with freight insteadof being returned empty. When this low-gravity center-draft car is constructed for the special transportation of cotton, the bottom of the sub-compartment is horizontal, and along the outside of the top rail a tableor plank, about a foot wide and supported onbrackets, is extended, to receive a folded tarp-aulin, which is designed to have the full length and half the width of the car-body. When the car is loaded this tarpanlin is unbound and spread over the cotton, being properly secured to protect the load from fire and the weather.

In the live-stockcar the animals stand on til the train is stopped.

the, bottom of the sub-com partment with their feetybut a few inches from the ground! They are placed so as to face the front and rear of ....the.car. The sections of the car-body at the ends which overhang the wheels or trucks are nearlythree I theta-higher, than the floorhpflthe @sub-conipartmentoirwliich the animalsfstahil; and are intended to be provided I with racks for hay a i lap r ughs:. or;1wate1n for loi aj This provender-compartment is deneys. signed usually to be provided with a sliding section ofuflooring,which may be drawn out toward the middle of the car. to meet its fellow from the other end, and, like the folding ends of thecoal -car,,form a clear floonfor the upper compartment, which thus becomes a freightchamber, while the dung and filth is covered up in the sub-compartment.

In the coal, ore, or grain car the chutes, as abovedescribed, are placed with their openings in the sides of the car, and not in the bottom; andfordischarging in bulk, a movable canvas bag or tube is employed to receive the grain at the mouth of the chute and carry it to the hold of a vessel or other receptacle, without the necessity of handling.

In the construction of certain classes of these cars, such as for live stock, or where the principle is applied to passenger-cars, the center-beam or spine of the car may be found to work most advantageously at the bottom of l the suspended or sub compartment, so as to pass under the car-axles and allow the coup lings to be placed very near the ground.

On all these cars a guard-wheel or simple flanged shoe may be attached to the bottom frame-timbers of the sub-compartment in such a manner that it shall be carried but three or four inches above and immediately over the rails, so that in case of. the breaking of a wheel or axle, or of a truck jumping the track, the car-body will drag upon the rails held there by the flange of this guard-wheel or shoe un- On these cars any coupling or brake now in use may be employed, and the cars may be constructed for four wheels without trucks; or the'usual trucks may be used. In the accompanying drawings a four-wheeled car is shown.

Passenger-coaches constructed on this plan will, it is thought, be safer and steadier than others, being in a great measure free from uncomfortable oscillating movements,and not so liable to be thrown from the track. Running so near the.ground, the atmosphere will be so compressed by a train in rapid motion that it will escape from beneath the carsin a powerful horizontal current, which will drive all dust so far from the train that before it can rise sufficiently to annoy the passengers the train will have cleared it.

It is desirable to the perfect working of these cars, but not indispensable to their general utility, that they should be furnished with some approved form of axle allowing independent motion of the wheels. i

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is p 1. The car-body A, having a sub-compartment, B, suspended below it between the trucks, and the transversely-hinged floor-sections S S. closing'the communication between the body and sub-compartment, combined and arranged substantially as specified.

2. The center spine or draft-beam, in combination with the lateral trussing-ribs and the carframe, substantially as specified.

' 3. In combination with the car-bodyA,l1aving floor-sections R, covering the trucks, and the hinged chute-sections S S, completing the' floor of the car-body, and hinged to theinner edges of the said floor-sections, the open'subcompartment having gravitating side doors, and suspended between the trucks, substantially as specified. I

4. In a dumping-car, the combination, with a vertically'hanging dumping-gate, of the fasteniug-shaft 6, its pressure-lugs g, and leverarm h, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN D; IMBODEN. Witnesses ALLEN H. GANGEWER, F. J. MASL 

